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Staff Reading Picks

The Secret Wisdom of the Earth

by Chris Scotton ISBN: 9781455551927

This earnest debut is part coming of age story, part tale of redemption and part Greek myth played out in the holler. After the horrific death of his younger brother in an accident on the lawn, 14 year old Kevin Gillooly and his distraught mother seek healing in the rural Kentucky home of his grandfather. There, Kevin – who is suffering from survivor guilt at the very least – meets up with a local boy, Buzzy Fink; the two embark on the kind of Huck Finnish boyhood adventures meant to be wholesome and soul-cleansing. But this rural Kentucky town is rife with bigotry and rage, and soon Kevin and Buzzy are drawn into local politics that involve a mountaintop clearing project and the death of a local gay man who had opposed it.

On Immunity : an Inoculation

by Eula Bliss ISBN:9781555976897

Examines the pervasive fears and myths surrounding vaccines from a mother's perspective and identifies the historical and cultural factors that cause people to doubt government regulations and the medical establishment.

The Story of Land and Sea

by Katy Simpson Smith ISBN: 9780062335944

A sweeping generational story, set in a small coastal town in North Carolina during the waning years of the American Revolution, follows fathers and daughters, mother and son, and master and slave as they search for redemption during a time of war, servitude, and love.

Bad Feminist

by Roxane Gay ISBN:9780062282712

A collection of essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the most-watched young cultural observers of her generation. In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman of color while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years and commenting on the state of feminism today.The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture. Bad Feminist is a sharp, funny, and spot-on look at the ways in which the culture we consume becomes whowe are, and an inspiring call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better.

Enter Pale Death

by Beverly Cleverly ISBN:9781616954086

One morning before dawn at her regal country estate, Lady Lavinia Truelove is crushed to death by a horse. Classified as "death by misadventure," this appears a gruesome accident, but Scotland Yard detective Joe Sandilands suspects foul play. As Joe's investigation yields surprising secrets about one of England's most powerful families, he discovers how little he knew about not only the gilded lives of the moneyed but also his relationship with Dorcas. Is Joe prepared to risk a future with the girl he loves to uncover the truth behind Lady Truelove's death?